Conde Nast International ‘bans’ fashion photographer Terry Richardson

By Abigail Malbon| 1 year ago

Richardson has previously denied allegations of misconduct

Conde Nast International, the publishing house behind Vogue and Glamour, has dropped renowned fashion photographer Terry Richardson from its books, with staff being told the changes will be in place immediately.

An email was sent out to workers saying that any work already commissioned from Mr Richardson but not yet published should be “killed or substituted with other material”.

Richardson with Lady Gaga/Getty

Conde Nast International, which publishes titles such as Conde Nast Traveller, GQ and Vanity Fair, confirmed that an email, first reported by The Daily Telegraph, was sent. Executive vice president James Woolhouse sent the message on Monday.

He wrote: "I am writing to you on an important matter. Condé Nast would like to no longer work with the photographer Terry Richardson.

"Any shoots that have been commission(ed) or any shoots that have been completed but not yet published, should be killed and substituted with other material.

"Please could you confirm that this policy will be actioned in your market effective immediately. Thank you for your support in this matter."

Richardson, whose photographs are known for being sexually explicit, has previously faced accusations about the treatment of models but always denied any exploitation or misconduct. He directed Miley Cyrus’ infamous Wrecking Ball video, and has earned himself the nickname “Uncle Terry”.

In 2014, the 52-year-old was accused of sexual exploitation by a number of models. He wrote an article in response to the "internet gossip and false accusations" against him, saying: "I have never used an offer of work or a threat of rebuke to coerce someone into something that they did not want to do."

Conde Nast’s decision was made less than 24 hours after The Sunday Times published an article questioning the fashion industry’s continued use of the photographer.